For the past 10 months I've been working at Pain D'Avignon Cafe in Hyannis. I originally took the job just to have an income, but the people I met there and the experience of working in the Cafe quite literally changed my life. Yesterday was my last day at Pain D'Avignon, at least for the next few months, and it wasn't easy saying goodbye to all the friends I've grown accustomed to seeing everyday.
However, sometimes in life you have to take new opportunities when they come your way. When one of my former English professors, Jody Santos, emailed me asking if I'd be interested in working on a documentary series with her, I immediately said yes. These kind of opportunities don't come around often.
"The Visionaries" is a series that looks to tell the stories of people and organizations making a positive difference in the world. The focus of our show is the Augustinians, a religious community that lives based on the teachings of Saint Augustine. Their volunteers and missions around the world have stayed true to the Christian principle of helping thy neighbor, and we're traveling to two places where they live out this belief everyday.
Today, barring any weather-related flight issues, we leave for Philadelphia. Philly is a city that has been ravaged by gang violence and poverty. The Augustinians have made a real effort to get right to the heart of these issues through outreach programs in the city, and we'll hopefully get a chance to experience all their good work during this week we're there.
In the age of email and Facebook, I'm most excited to be able to hear people's stories first-hand. That's what I've always loved about journalism: having real conversations with people about their lives.
Our flight leaves out of Manchester tonight at 6 p.m., so I should probably finish packing. I'm notorious for forgetting things like my toothbrush, so double-checking these things is key.
I'll be blogging through this entire process, so feel free to ask questions or tell me what you're most interested in hearing about. For now, to begin this process, I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the past six months:
"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
-Conan O'Brien
